Do Assassin Snails Eat Shrimp? Ending This Debate Once And For All!

The debate over whether assassin snails eat shrimp has been bouncing around for quite some time especially when conflicting evidence comes into play. In this case, context is crucial to understand whether or not your shrimp are in danger from your assassin snails, or if assassins are capable of feeding on live shrimp comfortably. Well, we’ll be solving these problems in this discussion.

Assassin snails do, can, and will eat shrimp under certain circumstances. One of which is just common preference; just like how most predatory animals wouldn’t actively hunt us humans for food, assassins don’t necessarily go after shrimp. The other reason is if they are starved as hunger increases their chances of being predatory.

When you look at the possibility of assassin snails eating shrimp, you’d even begin to wonder how they go about it. Shrimp are fast and almost impossible for slow animals like assassins to catch, but the snails have their way.

4 Genuine Reasons Why Assassin Snails Kill Shrimp

You may have thought assassin snails only hunt after other snails or mollusks, but they also hunt shrimp, worms, and even fish! Here are the reasons why your assassin snails may kill and eat your tank shrimp:

1. They’re Carnivorous Animals

Assassin snails are carnivorous and shrimp just adds to the variety of their diet. I once saw an article explaining assassins to be omnivorous, and I truly wondered about the confusion of their misled owners when they rejected all the veggies they are offered.

2. They’re Starving

Now, assassin snails are not drama-loving pets. When they’re hunting for food, they will always go for the easier option like snails or slugs. However, when your predatory snails are starving, their food options are reduced to the unusual finds which in this case will be the live shrimp swimming around.

3. Shrimp Is Delicious

Relative to the size of assassin snails, shrimp is fleshy and delicious to them. For the lucky snail that finds the shrimp, it will be well-fed for a good period before its next meal. In some cases, the snail can take a whole day feasting if the shrimp is relatively large. They’d even take breaks and come back to their meal to carry on the party.

4. They Have Developed A Particular Liking

This phenomenon rarely happens, but if you starve your assassin snails to the extent where they manage to kill a live shrimp, at least one of the assassin snails in your tank will develop a preference for the shrimp. This in turn leads to the snail actively hunting down the shrimp and eating them.

This case was experienced by a shrimp breeder who had assassin snails living with his shrimp. Every week, he reported a missing shrimp until he removed the assassins from the tank. Surprisingly, the shrimp populations increased by a noticeable amount! So, not only do assassin snails kill them as a one-time thing, but the snails actively reduce their population by constantly feeding on them. Killer Assassin Snails – Shrimp Keeping Myths

Developing a preference for shrimp can also happen if your snails find and eat shrimp carcasses. Aside from being hunters, they’re opportunistic eaters and will feast on decaying animal matter when they come across it.

How Do Assassin Snails Hunt And Eat Shrimp?

It’s established that assassin snails can eat shrimp, but then you begin to wonder how they may hunt them or if they even do.

The killer snails catch prey by hiding underneath the sand and ambushing them when they swim too close. Using their radula, they inject neurotoxins that either weaken or paralyze the prey. Although they have a 20% chance of even catching the shrimp, it doesn’t deter them from employing their devious plans.

Also, the snails can attack when the shrimp are sleeping, molting, or ill. These situations predominantly slow down the shrimp for the assassin snails to catch. The snails may be slow, but a disoriented shrimp is no match for their skillful eating strategies. In most cases, if your assassin snails eat your shrimp, the shrimp is probably dying or weakened from any of the aforementioned situations.

Since shrimp are crustaceans, they have a tough exoskeleton that may be somewhat of a hassle for assassins to feed on. Well, that is because assassins feed by scraping out flesh from the shells of snails.

After the assassins have made their catch, all they have to do is find a soft spot of the shrimp and eat away until they reach the insides. Then they insert their radula and scrape the flesh until there’s nothing left. With time, the remains of the dead shrimp soften giving your assassin snails more protein to feed on.

How Do I Stop My Assassin Snails From Eating My Shrimp?

If you want your assassins to coexist with your shrimp, you must come to terms with a few facts. You will lose some of your shrimp! Accidents happen, and the odds of your extremely slow assassins eating your speedy shrimp are low but existent. You can only reduce the chances of this happening.

Ensure The Tank Is Large Enough

If you plan to have assassin snails and shrimp in an enclosed space, you should be starting at 50 gallons. The more inhabitants you have, the bigger the tank should be. Your pets may survive in smaller tanks like 20 to 30 gallons, but it would just make the shrimp easier to kill by the assassin snails. This is because of the proximity of the snails to the shrimp in small aquariums. Bigger tanks allow the shrimp to explore their space without getting in the way of assassins and vice versa.

Feed Your Assassin Snails Properly

Starving assassins will go after your shrimp and eat them. So, you must ensure your snails are well-fed. You can feed your assassins bloodworms, mussels, fish pellets, and even unwanted snail hatchlings. Usually, a blood worm or two fish pallets are enough for the snails. If you have feeder snails, an average-sized snail is just enough for one assassin. They don’t overfeed and may take the whole day to finish the feeder snail. Basically, you can feed your killer snails as much as you’d like to, as long as you take the leftovers out of the tank.

Assassin snails eat shrimp too, but I wouldn’t recommend it since you don’t want them hunting their regular food (your tank shrimp) that happens to be swimming around them. In addition, most local fish stores will be pleased to hand their unwanted globs (snail hatchlings) to you so that you can feed your assassin snails. Rarely, assassin snails may eat algae, and they also feed on dirt and waste products from their cohabitants.

GuaranteeYour Shrimp Are Healthy

Weaker shrimp get preyed upon by assassin snails. To reduce the chances of your shrimp getting eaten by snails, you must ensure they’re healthy enough to escape the danger. They can coexist with assassin snails in the same water parameters healthily—such as temperature, ammonia, and pH—which must always be in the correct range. The table below contains better clarity for these ranges.

Also, you must feed the shrimp properly to prevent them from falling sick. They can eat anything from vegetables, fish pellets, and even algae. Shrimp and crab cuisines are also good choices for the long run. Good food will keep them active enough to escape getting eaten by assassin snails.

Increase Plant Density

Shrimp like to mess around in plants, which can serve as hiding places from the assassin snails. The more plants you have, the lower the chances of your shrimp getting eaten. Decor and tight hiding spots that look like caves may enthuse the shrimp, but I find they can get cornered by the assassins or slowed down and eaten when they try to escape. So, plants are simply the better option.

Create A Separate Area For Breeding

If you plan on breeding your shrimp, you need a separate area for the shrimp fry. Assassin snails will go after shrimp babies, and the abundance of the fry makes it easier to feast on them. If your snails have a liking for shrimp, they will actively seek them regardless of size. Big or small the shrimp are, assassin snails are capable of killing them.

Can Assassin Snails And Shrimp Live In The Same Tank?

Assassin snails can coexist with shrimp, and there are several records of this happening peacefully. I’ll say it’s a matter of luck whether your assassin snails attack your shrimp or not. You may just be one of the halves that have peaceful assassin snails. However, if you follow through with the methods I’ve outlined to keep your assassins off your shrimp, you’d have a tank less likely to produce casualties. There is no guarantee that the unfortunate incident will not happen, but there are measures you can take to prevent them.

As long as your snails are well-fed, shrimp are healthy and active, and there’s enough space for one party to get out of the other party’s way, you should have a harmonious tank of both your predators and prey.

Should I Put Assassin Snails In The Same Tank With My Shrimp?

My advice depends on how much you love your shrimp. If you have very special rare breeds like the panda, bolt, or crystal red shrimp, you certainly shouldn’t risk it. Especially if you’re attached to your shrimp. If you want to breed them, I also don’t advise you to put both species in the same tank. The assassins will go after the shrimp fry and have a feast.

The only time I’ll recommend assassins be put in the same tanks as shrimp is if you don’t mind losing a couple to the snails. Perhaps you have shrimp swimming around in a nice freshwater ecosystem where prey and predators can exist, then you may go ahead.

Will Assassin Snails Kill Shrimp Instead Of Pest Snails?

You may have a variety of creatures living in one tank, in this case, snails like pond snails and shrimp living together, with the snails overpopulating the tank. Therefore, assassin snails may be introduced to cater to the overpopulation. It’s normal to wonder what that assassin’s interest may be as you’re probably hoping they don’t attack your shrimp instead.

Thankfully, assassin snails will prefer to eat the prey that is easy to catch, like the pond snails, and not the shrimp. They will not leave the invasive snails and go after shrimp as the chances of even catching them are low.